Start A Cleaning Business From Square One-Part 2

Starting your cleaning business from square one / part two.

In Part One, you discovered ways to gain a solid year of professional cleaning experience. You have practiced your cleaning skills.

You are confident you can clean most types of homes in your area. You took the steps to get licensed, bonded and insured. You are now ready to move to the next few squares…

Lead With Your Labor

If you don’t have money for equipment or supplies, begin your new business with just your labor. Use your new customers cleaning supplies and equipment.

There are certain customers who actually prefer this type of service.

They have cleaning supplies they love, plus vacuums and other equipment available in their homes.

You can charge them a little less than other house cleaners who provide equipment and supplies.

Since you don’t have the expense of buying and maintaining cleaning equipment and supplies, your service could be profitable from the start.

I’ve known self-employed house cleaners who worked like this their whole time in business.

Add Extra Home Services

Some labor-only house cleaners also offer extra home services including:

Holding folded shirts on an ironing board. Add laundry and ironing as extra cleaning services.
Some customers are willing to pay for extra home services like laundry and ironing. Photo Credit:  Vladans

Starting Without A Car

You can start your cleaning business using public transportation. City bus at night.
Photo Credit:  Mike Maguire

One way to start your cleaning business without a car is to work along a bus, subway or light rail route.

The bus route should be a short walking distance to your customer’s homes.

This way, you can easily ride or walk from one customer’s house to another during your work day.

Related: Find out how to lower your tax bill if you use the bus or other public transportation to get to your customers homes.

Focus On One Group Of Customers At A Time

I’ve also known some house cleaners who started with a group of customers in one large apartment building or condo complex.

They grew their businesses by word of mouth referrals from customers in the building. 

They also made a habit of carrying a pocketful of business cards whenever they cleaned.

Checklist cover tilted.
Zoom through planning your new cleaning business with this easy to use tool.

Not Sure Where To Begin?

The Get Started Checklist and Workbook will help you set up your house cleaning or maid service business step by step without getting stuck or lost.

Get Started Checklist and Workbook

Get yours today!

Build References and Referrals

Once you have five to seven customers, now is the time to ask your best customers to provide you with references.

Also, some of the home service broker’s network customers you served may be willing to provide references that give you a running start for your own cleaning business.

Ask at least three customers for permission to use them as references.

Respect those customers time and privacy. Be sure to find out how they want to be contacted: phone, email or text?

Also ask them when they prefer to be contacted: morning, afternoons, evenings or weekends only?

Offer references only to people who request them. Many people you meet for walkthroughs of their homes don’t ask for references.

Grow With Referrals

Want referrals? Simply ask. Your first customers can refer you to their friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and church members. 

If you are working through a home service broker’s network, and have regular assignments to the same homes, ask for referrals to friends and neighbors outside of the broker’s network.

Especially friends and neighbors who live in the same neighborhood near your regular bus routes.

Ratings Gold

Five gold stars for your cleaning business.
5 star ratings gold

Don’t hesitate to ask those first customers for testimonials, ratings and reviews.

Any testimonials you get from those first customers (and later customers) are pure gold.

Customer testimonials, ratings and reviews about your cleaning service can be put on:

  • Your cleaning business website
  • Facebook business page
  • Flyers
  • Yelp
  • Thumbtack
  • HomeAdvisor
  • Angi (Angie’s List)
  • Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) page

Just Get Started

Starting a house cleaning business with no professional experience, no references, no money and no car can be a tough game in the beginning.

It will take a few years of hard work and commitment to building your cleaning business – one square at a time. The good news is other people have done this and succeeded.

Some self-employed house cleaners have built comfortable one or two person businesses starting with just their labor.

Others have gone on to build million dollar businesses starting with no more than hard work and their determination to succeed.

Don’t let the thought of starting at square one scare you into doing nothing.

Just take one square at a time, do the work, move to the next square and stay open to opportunities.

Just get started. You can do this!

US Cleaning Business Laws

Use this full map of US state and city laws to help you:

  • Apply for a business name
  • Get a business license
  • Register to pay taxes

Just click on the map to find your state and get started.

USA map of states.

Did you start your cleaning business at square one with more sweat than money? Share your beginning moves in the comments below ⬇︎.

2 Comments

  1. judith please help me with me start

    1. Hi Letico,

      I would be happy to answer your questions.

      Go to the contact page and send your questions to me. I will answer by email.

Comments are closed.